People are now complaining about free food handouts - not enough gluten or dairy free

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SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — When Emily Brown, a Kansas City mother, couldn’t find foods that her 2-year-old with multiple food allergies could eat at a local food pantry, she mustered up the courage to ask about gluten-free foods or dairy alternatives.

The response: “You got something.” The only things her daughter could eat were potatoes and salsa.

“It took, really, all of my strength to make it to the car,” she said. “I cried in the car and then I just thought to myself, ’We cannot be the only family, I cannot be the only mother, struggling with this.”

For the millions of Americans newly experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic, a particular crisis is hitting those with food allergies and intolerances: Most charitable and government food programs offer limited options.

While some pantries maintain gluten-free shelves or post allergen information, most were forced to limit clients choices last year, instead turning to contactless models where clients drive up and take a pre-made bag of food.

“Everybody deserves an equal opportunity to select their own foods,” said Carla Carter, director of outreach and programming at the National Celiac Association. But, she said, “COVID drastically changed that into: ‘Here’s a box of food, good luck.’”

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Those signing up for government assistance face similar problems. The program for women, infants and children - known as WIC - offers a substitute for peanut butter: It’s beans, not exactly useful for making sandwiches. Soy milk is a substitute for cow’s milk, but some people, like Brown’s child, can’t have either. Food stamps, or SNAP, let families choose what to buy, but specialized foods - like gluten free bread or sunflower seed butter - are often far more expensive. In some stores, the latter costs triple the cost of store-brand peanut butter, gluten free flour costs four times a standard bag, and even the cheapest dairy milk alternatives are often double the price.

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Charitable food programs can start with a few simple questions she said: “Are you on a special diet? Are there any foods that bother you?”

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